1 Corinthians 2:5

5 which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

1 Corinthians 2:5 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 2:5

That your faith should not stand
"Or be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God". The Spirit of God directed him, and he under his influence chose, and by his assistance pursued this way of preaching, with this view, and for this reason, that faith in Christ, and in the doctrines of his Gospel, which comes by hearing, might not be attributed to the force of human eloquence and oratory; or stand upon so sandy a foundation, as that which might, if that was the case, be puffed away by a superior flow and force of words; but that it might be ascribed, as it ought to be, to almighty power, stand in it, be supported by it, and at last be finished and fulfilled with it.

1 Corinthians 2:5 In-Context

3 I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate - I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it -
4 and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it,
5 which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
6 We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.
7 God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest - what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.